Fuel-feeding mechanism



c. F. MILLER AND R. M. ALLEN. FUEL FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILIED SEPT. 8, 1917.

1,414,746. I Patel lted May 2, 1922.

AYIITORNEYS.

A T .EZS

CHARLES E. MILLER, OF MORTON, AND ROBERT M. ALL-EN, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS 'IO 'WESTINGHGUSE ELECTRIC 85 MANUFACTURING CO., A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

FUEL-FEEDING- MECHANISM,

rains,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1922.

Application filed September 8, 1917. Serial No. 190,385.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES F. MILLER and Ronnn'r M. ALLEN, both citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Morton, Delaware County, Pa, and Swissvale Allegheny County, Pa, have made a new and useful Invention in F uel-Feeding Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to plunger operating mechanisms and more particularly to means for feeding fuel or like material into a retort or similar receptacle.

An object of the invention is to produce a fuel feeding mechanism in which improved power actuated means are employed for actuating the fuel feeding plunger.

A further object is to produce a fuel feeding mechanism in which improved means are employed for preventing fuel sifting.

A further object is to produce a fuel feeding mechanism capable of being actuated by a shaft having a constant speed of rotation and capable of being adjusted for the purpose of varying the rate of feed Without varying the speed of the shaft.

A further object is to produce a fuel feeding mechanism for underfeed stolzers which is positive and reliable in operation and is capable of manual adjustment and control.

A further object is to produce a fuel feeding mechanism for stokers in which improved means are employed for protecting the mechanism against unusual strains which may be occasioned by a jamming of the fuel feeding plunger.

These and other objects, which Will be made apparent throughout the further description of the invention, are attained by means of apparatus embodying the features herein described and illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a fragmental transverse sectional view of an underfeed stoker equipped with a fuel feeding mechanism embodying our invention, and which is also shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 illustrates a modified arrangement of a detail of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and is shown in connection with a clutch member such as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

The apparatus illustrated as an embodiment of our invention includes a plunger 4,

of a screw'feed mechanism including screw 8 and a cooperating sleeve nut 9. v The sleeve is adapted to be rotated in one direction or the other for the purpose of moving the plunger either forward or back, The screw 8 is more .or less loosely secured to the plunger 4, but its mode of connection is such as to prevent it from turning. The

sleeve nut 9 is illustrated as consisting of a hollow tubular member provided at one end with threads for engaging the threads of the screw 8, and is j ournaled in a housing 10, rigidly secured to the front of'the stoker. A bevel-gear 11 is mounted on the forward end of the member 9 and is operatively secured to it by means of a collar 12, integrally formed on the member 9, a pin 13, and a lock nut 110 screwed onto the end of the member and locked in place by any suitable means such as a set screw.

The pin 13 is so constructed and arranged that it will fail in case the apparatus is sub jected to unusual strains and will thereby prevent other portions of the apparatus from being wrecked or damaged. For example, the pin 18 will shear if the plunger becomes jammed, and consequently there is no possibility of stripping the gears or the screw threads or of breaking any of the cooperating parts. p

In Fig; 2, we have illustrated the pin 13 and the method employed for mounting it on the gear 11 and collar 12 so that the pin will shear when the apparatus is subjected to unusual strains. Both the gear and collar are provided with hard metal pin seats 14, each of which is perforated to provide an aperture through which the pin 13 is adapted to project. The seats 14: are so located on their respective mounting elements that the gear 11 may be turned about the sleeve 9 to bring the apertures in register with each other. The pin 13 may then be inserted end-of the member 22 and areadapted l "tween the collar and the adjacent thrust hearing or shoulder of the housing 10. The other bearing 16 is adapted to take up thrusts in the opposite directions and includes rings 17 anda ring nut 18 screwed onto the end of the sleeve'9 and adapted to hold the rings 1? in place.

The gear 11 meshes with two bevel-gears 'l9andr20, both of which are loosel mounted on a driving shaft 21. The shaft is journaled in suitable bearings formed within the housing 10. A clutch member '22 is mounted onthe shaft 2l'and is adapted to operatively 'connect one or the other gears 19 and 20 to the shaft so that rotation in one direction or the other will be imparted to the sleeve 9. As illustrated, the inember22 consists of a sleeve splined onto the shaft 21, so that-it is movable longitudinally thereof. Longitudinally projecting teeth 23 are provided on one o engage similar teeth 23 formed onthe h ,.b portion-of the gear 20, when the member is shifted along the shaft for the purpose of locking the gear to the shatt. A similar rangement of teeth are provided on the opposite end ofthe member 22 and the gear is.

With this'arrangement one or the other of the gears 19 and 20 may be locked to the shaft 21, so that gear 11 will be driven in one direction or the other. ltwill, of COUIS'I, be apparent that but one of the 19 and 20 is capable of'being locked to the shaft a time, since the gears are so spaced with l}- lation to the member 22 that the member passes through a neutral position in mcvi he; to disengage one gear from the shaft :and to lock the other gear to the shaft.

Tnthe drawings we have illustrated mca us actuated by the movement of the screw feed mechanism for actuating the mount -r QQ-ainl for thereby reversing the rotation of the sleeve 9 at each end of the stroke of the plunger 4:. As illustrated, a hanger 2.7 is mounted on the plunger so that it projects downwardly. A. rod 26 passes through aperture formed in the hanger and is loosely engaged by the hanger. One end of the rod 26 is pivotally connected to an arm 27 of a bell crank 28, which is mounted on a vertical shaft 29. The other arm-30 of the bell crank is shown bifurcated at'its end and is pivot- The member 31 is suitably mounted on a rod which is pivotally mountedon the lower face of the housing 10. and a coiled spring surrounds a portion of the rod andvoperates between a shoulder formed thereon and the member-'31 so as to force the member toward the arm of the bell-crank. A. lever is shown rigidly mounted on the shaft 29 and is provided with two downwardly projecting bellcrank-engaging lugs and 35, which form a lost-motion connection between the bell-crank 28 and the shaft'29. Anactw ating finger 36, for the member 22, is rigidly mounted on the shaft 29 and is so arranged that it is capable of shifting the clutch member into engagement with one or the other of the gears 19 and 20, in response to the operation of the bell crank leverQS. Motion is imparted to the bell crank lever from the plunger at through the'agency of the hanger 25 and the rod 26. For this purpose the rod is provided with two collars 37 and 37, which are locatedon opposite sides of the hanger and are preferablyadjustable along'the rod. The collars 37 and 37 are so positioned on therod that the hanger $35 will engage one as the plunger moves toward one limit of its stroke and will engage-the other as the plunger moves toward the other limit of its stroke. /Vith this arrangement the plunger will shift the position of the rod at each end of its stroke and willthereby actuate the bell crank to move the member out of operative engagement with the operating gears 19 or 20 of the shaft 21. The arrangement of the bell crank arm 30 and the spring pressed member 31 is siicln-tl'uit such a movement ofthe bell crank will co press the spring 33 until after the member "is moved out of engagement with one gear ings 15 and 16, the bearing of sleeve 9, the

screw 8 and the shaft 29. The casing 38 is. oi: course, provided with suitable packings to prevent the leakage of lubricant around the sh aft 91 and around the screw 8.

In Fig. 0, we have shown a modification of the shifting mechanism for the clutch member 22. As illustrated the rod '26 provided with the adjustable collars 37- and 37, but each collar cooperates with a separate spring actuated sleeve l0. which is" adapted to engage the hanger 25 and to impart the motion of the hanger to the rod 26. As shown, a separate coiled spring ll surrounds the shaft 26 and is located between each collar 37 and its cooperating operating mechanlsm.

sleeve lO. The rod 26 is operatively secured to a bell crank 42, which is rigidly secured to the shaft 29 and which is provided with a projecting arm 34 corresponding to the lever 34 of Fig. 2 and so arranged that it may be operated by hand. As the hanger 25 moves in one direction, for example, in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, it first engages the sleeve 40 and compresses the spring 41 between the sleeve and the collar 37. After the spring is completely compressed the sleeve 40 positively engages the collar 37 and consequently a further movement of the hanger shifts the position of the rod. The movement of the hanger, of course, continues until the member 22 is moved out of engagement with the bevelgear which is imparting motion to the sleeve nut 9. As soon as this occurs, the hanger ceases to move about the compressed spring, actuating between the sleeve 40 or thehanger, and the collar 37 continues to move the member 22 until the other bevel-gear is engaged by the member 22 and is thereby operatively locked to the shaft 21. This imparts, rotation in the opposite direction to the sleeve 9 and consequently 'moves the hanger in a direction the reverse of that indicated by the arrow. As the hanger moves in this direction it engages the sleeve 41 and finally shifts the rod in the direction of its travel and thereby again shifts the position of the member 22.

In Figs. 1 and 2, we have illustrated means for stopping the operation of the plunger It consists in pro viding a latch for securing the lever 34 in such a position that the member 22 is held in the neutral or intermediate position by the lugs 35 and 35. As shown, a spring pressed latch 42 is carried by lever 3a and is adapted to engage a keeper formed in a bracket 43 of the housing 10. Both arms 34: and 34 of the mechanisms illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 respectively may be employed for manually shifting the position of the clutch member 22 and for in this way controlling the operation of the mechanism. The lever 34 may of course be provided with a locking latch similar to the latch 4-2. Both the forward and the rear limit of the plungers movement may be varied by shiftmg the positions of the collars on the rod 26.

In accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, but we desire it to be understood that various changes, modifications, additions and omissions may be made in the apparatus illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth by the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. Gearing comprising in combination, a

gear case adapted to contain a lubricant, a

rotatable sleeve fitting closely within a corresponding portion of the casing and opening into the same, gear means within the case for alternately rotating the sleeve in opposite directions, a screw cooperating with one end of the sleeve and adapted to be moved longitudinally when the sleeve is 1'0- tated and a member carried by the screw adapted to be reciprocated thereby.

2. Gearing comprising in combination a gear case adapted to contain a lubricant, a sleeve rotatably mounted in the gear case and having a threaded interior portion at one end opening into the gear case to receive lubricant therefrom, thrust bearings at each end of the sleeve adapted to transmit force exerted longitudinally of the sleeve in opposite directions to the case, a screw cooperating with the threaded interior portion in the sleeve adapted to be moved longitudinally by the threads thereof when the sleeve is rotated, and a member actuated by the screw and adapted to be reciprocated thereby.

3. Gearing comprising in combination a gear case adapted to' contain a lubricant, a

sleeve rotatably mounted in the gear case and having a threaded interior portion at one end communicating with the case to receive lubricant therefrom, thrust bearings at each end of the sleeve adapted to transmit to the case longitudinal thrusts of the sleeve in both directions, a screw projecting through the gear case and cooperating with the sleeve and adapted to move longitudinally thereby when the sleeve is rotated, means for preventing the escape of lubricant around the screw and a member actuated by the screw andadapted to be reciprocated thereby.

4. Gearing comprising in combination, a gear case adapted to contain a lubricant, a sleeve rotatably mounted in and conforming with the casing and adapted to be lubricated by the lubricant therein, gear means in the casing axially aligned with a gear mounted on the forward end of the sleeve to alternately rotate the same, a threaded screw 00- 7 C. W. MCGHEE. 

